/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.11913809]

Is there anything I should read before getting into Evola or can i just jump in? Is is worth reading Geunon first? I've read some Nietzsche and have a good understanding of mainstream fascism and metaphysics. I'm not a fascist I just find him interesting.

[Anonymous No.11913863]

Bump. Also open to general discussion

[Anonymous No.11913918]

Yeah you don't need to read anything else to get into him, just start with Revolt because the terminology and concepts he defines is referenced in almost all of his works. He's not a fascist either.

[Anonymous No.11913939]

Yes, read Guenon first. Start with 'Intro to Hindu Doctrines' and then read another few of his books. It helps to have a basic familiarity with Plato and things like Hermeticism etc come up too. As with any of the traditionalists, it also helps to be well-read on most world religions already. At least read the Bhagavad-Gita and the Tao Te Ching first if you haven't already so you have some firsthand knowledge of what eastern texts are like. You can read him without reading any of the stuff and still understand what he is saying but you can understand him on a much deeper level if you already understand the ideas and concepts he is referencing and the special meaning he gives them.

[Anonymous No.11914049]

>>11913918
Yeah I know that much. He's just popular in fascist circles. Part of the reason I want to read his work is because of how he is misrepresented as just another fascist.
>>11913939
I've been meaning to read Vedic texts for a while, so I'll probably read at least that first. Does it talk about the Kali Yuga? I want to learn about that in particular.

[Anonymous No.11914055]

>>11914049
by that I mean the Bhagavad-Gita

[Anonymous No.11914110]

>>11914055
No, the Gita does not focus on the Kali Yuga. The Yuga is mostly discussed in larger texts like the Mahabharata and Puranas. For the purposes of understanding the Kali Yuga's relevance for the Traditionalist authors, those authors secondhand summaries of it in their works do a sufficient job of conveying the idea, at least to the degree you need to understand what they say about it; although if course its always good to read the primary texts too. I recommended the Gita because having some experience reading eastern 'mystical' or 'metaphysical' texts helps more with the Traditionalists than stuff like the Yuga and other anti-modern ideas (they do play their part but the metaphysical ideas are more important).

[Anonymous No.11914198]

>>11914110
I definitely don't have the patience to read that much ancient text without taking breaks so I'll stick to the Gita then. Is it also worth learning about Roman paganism first? thanks Anon

[Anonymous No.11914371]

>>11913809
Like other traditionalist authors, you should read Evola chronologically, not to start with his more famous works.

The trend with /pol/ has been to only read "Ride The Tiger" by Evola, which was one of the last books Evola released before his death.

>>11914049
To understand the background where Evola is coming from, you should have some basic (historical) understanding of the eastern Tantra, Buddhism and European Hermetic stuff such as alchemy and (ceremonial) magic and the legends of Grail.

Evola, saw the West, in contrast to Guénon who converted to Islam and moved to Egypt, as a possible fertile ground for self-realization.

Instead of possibly withdrawing to a more traditional state of living: it may be possible to overcome the surrounding hostile environment using magical, tantric, buddhist methods for your own good etc. This is where Evola and Guénon differ widely.

[Anonymous No.11914377]

Do NOT start with Revolt, start with Introduction to Magic, that'll lay the groundwork for his metaphysics, then move onto his other metaphysical works and finish up with his critique on modernity, since you'll know exactly where he's coming from

[Anonymous No.11915221]

>>11914377
>>11914371
Can I skip to revolt if I'm already familiar with philosophy, religion, eastern thought, and occult?

[Anonymous No.11915261]

>>11914049
the world fascism itself is just lazy thinking most of the time, not saying there are no fascists, but most so-called fascist could be better analyzed using a different term but better just put them in the "bad" category and stop thinking instead of doing an actual analysis of anything

[Anonymous No.11915277]

>>11915221
Why you want to "skip" stuff?

You should read "Revolt" in combination with "Men Among the Ruins"

Revolt was written before WW2, "Men Among..." after WW2. It offers almost an updated version of many concepts offered in Revolt and some predictions which have come true/are coming true.

[Anonymous No.11915306]

>>11915277
>Why you want to "skip" stuff?
Because I have plenty of experience with the esoteric ideas, so I'd rather save time if possible. That's not to say I have no interest in the other writings, just not my highest priority at the moment.

[Anonymous No.11915371]

>>11913809
There is no magic collection of books, but at the very least, have a working understanding of Hindu mythology/cosmology, a broad survey of western European history (some emphasis on the Greeks/Romans), and Guenon would definitely be helpful. Crisis of the Modern World is like a short and reasonably accessible blueprint for a lot of what Evola would explore and build on later. Also, get a sense for some of what was going on in Western philosophy prior to Evola, because he will reference concepts without necessarily stopping to point out the fact that he did, or cite them, because it is assumed that the reader will be literate in these things.

>>11913918
This is objectively wrong. Picking up Revolt without doing your homework first is a waste of time.

>>11913939
This is helpful advice for OP